Automatic electric switch.



No. 801,784. PATENTED OCT. 10, 1905. W. S. GUTHRIB.

AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED Nov 29, 1904.

y u C i? j "UITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

AUTONIATIC ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1905.

Application filed November 29,1904. Serial No. 234,734.

T0 all whom it mrtg/concern,.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. GUTHEIE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Terrell, in the county of Kaufman and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Automatic Electric Switch, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to an automatic electric-switch apparatus for intermittently closing the circuits of a series of display-lamps or other translating devices arranged for interchangeable intermittent operation.

'Ihe object of the invention is to produce a switch apparatus involving a plurality of switches and a spring-motor operating the switches in the desired order and at proper intervals and to so arrange the contact elements of said switches that the circuits will be opened suddenly in order to reduce to a minimum the possibility of arcing.

To the accomplishment of these objects and others subordinate thereto, the preferred embodiment of the invention resides in that construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and succintly defined in the appended claims.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of my switch apparatus complete. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the switches and their operating-disks. Fig. 3 is a detail elevation of a series of disks, and Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of the means whereby the motor-frame is secured to and insulated from its support. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing a modilied arrangement of a contact-spring 29.

Like characters indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Secured to a suitable support 1as, for instance, the bottom wall of a casing 2is a spring-motor 3, embracing in its organization frame-plates 4 and 5, connected in spaced relation by corner-posts 6. The posts 6 serve to retain the frame-plates 4 and 5 in their proper relative positions and also constitute means for attaching to the frame a plurality of supporting-feet 7, insulated from the support l by strips of mica 8 and rigidly secured by screws 9, insulated from the feet 7 by rubber or other suitable insulating-caps lO. Aforded bearings in the frame-plates of the motor are a series of arbors 11, I2, 13, 14, and 15, carrying a train of intermeshing gears, as shown, and driven by a motor-spring 16, surrounding the driving-arbor 1l and having its opposite ends secured to said arbor and to one of the corner-posts of the frame, respectively, as is well understood in the art.

The primary gear 17 of the train is connected to the driving-arbor by pawl-andratchet mechanism, as usual, and said arbor is squared for reception wit-hin a key, by means of which the spring is wound. The arbor 15 carries in addition to its gear an escapement-wheel 18, cooperating with the pallets of an escapement lever or anchor 19, fulcrumed on the motor-frame at 2O and provided with a hook-shaped tailpiece 21, receiving a rubber-covered stop 22, which prevents abnormal vibration of the escapementlever and possibly assists in some degree the action of the anchor, since the resiliency of the stop will tend to cause the rebound of the tailpiece 2l. The escapement, including the wheel 18 and the anchor 19, constitutes a governor for the motor and insures its operation at a uniform rate of speed.

Fixed to the arbor or shaft 13 between the frame-plates 4 and 5 are a plurality of switchoperating disks 23, each of which is formed with a peripheral series of projections 24, having any relative arrangement in accordance with the order in which it may be desired to operate the several switches. Disposed in cooperative relation with each disk 23 is one end 25 of a bell-crank switch-lever 26, provided at the juncture of its arms with a pair of bearing-ears 27, apertured for the reception of a rod or shaft 28, extending between the frame-plates 4and 5. Each of the bearing-ears 27 is of angular form to dispose it some little distance beyond the adjacent side of the lever. These ears therefore serve as spacers, adjacent ears of contiguous levers being disposed in contact to maintain each lever in its proper position opposite a disk 23. The other end of each switch-lever is disposed, when the lever is operated, to engage the free extremity of a contact-spring 29, normally lying fiat against a rigid spring-supporting strip 30 and soldered or otherwise secured at one extremity thereto. At one end the supporting-strip 30 is provided with an angular lOO foot 31, secured to a binding-post 32, passed through the end wall 33 of the casing 2 and equipped with a nut 34 and a binding-screw 35. The screw 35 is utilized to retain the end of a line-Wire a, which is thus placed in electrical connection with the contact-spring 29. The foot 31 and the nut 34 are preferably insulated from the casing by the interposition of mica strips 36 and 37.

The switch-levers 26 are retracted by springs 38, secured to the levers adjacent to their fulcrums and to the bar 39, fixed to the motorframe. As clearly shown in Fig'. 1, the switchlevers are so mounted in the frame of the motor that one lof the corner-posts 6 thereof acts as a stop, engaging the contact ends of the levers to limit the retractile movements thereof.

I/Vhile I have illustrated three switch-levers for the purpose of this disclosure, it is evident that any number of levers may be employed, line-wires a connected therewith being led to the translating devices-as, for instance, the lamps of a changeable displaysign-all connected to acommon return-wire attached to a binding-post 40, similar to the post 32, and connected by a wire c with one of the corner-posts 6 of the motor-frame.

The operation of the device is as follows: The shaft or arbor 13 is rotated by the motor, and the projections on each disk are presented successively to the end of a switch lever, swinging the latter into contact with one of the springs 29 and urging the latter back from the supporting-strip 30, as shown at the left-hand side of Fig. 2. The circuit is thus closed by way of the line-Wire rt, bindingpost 32, strip 30, spring 29, switch-lever 26, disk 23, arbor 13, frame 34, corner-post 6, wire c, and binding-post 40, to the common return-wire and thence through any translating device or devices controlled by this particular switch. As soon as the projection on the disk passes the end of the lever the latter is retracted, and at this point is observable one of the most important features of the present invention.

It will be noted that when a switch-lever is operated it not only contacts with a spring 29, but urges the latter back away from the spring-supporting strip 30. Therefore when a switch-lever is retracted the lever and spring move together for a short distance, after which the spring is suddenly arrested by its contact With the support 30, and as the rapid movement of the lever continues a quick break is secured without sacrificing the advantages which accrue from the employment of a yielding contact.

In Fig. 5 is shown a simple variation of the mounting' of a contact-spring 29. This modified structure comprehends the mounting of the spring on the contact-lever instead of on the arm, it being clear that this arrangement will possess the advantages of the preferred form shown in Fig'. 2, inasmuch as the lever will strike the spring at the proper time and cause its sudden withdrawal from the contactarm. It should also be understood that while I deem it preferable to employ a motor of the character described a motor of any other form, whether electrical or mechanical, may be utilized to operate the levers so far as certain aspects of the invention are concerned.

It is thought that the foregoing description of my switching apparatus is ample for the purpose of this disclosure; but I desire it to be understood in conclusion that I reserve the right to effect such changes, modifications,

Y and variations of the illustrated structure as may come fairly within the scope of the protection prayed.

What I claim is- 1. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a motor including a frame, a plurality of arbors, intermeshing gears carried by the arbors, and a motorspring, of a series of conductive disks carried by one of the motor-arbors and provided with peripheral projections, a plurality of bellcrank switch-levers mounted in the motorframe and cooperatively related with the disks, contact-springs arranged to be engaged by the bell-crank switch-levers, and an electrical connection between the disk-carrying arbor and the several contact-springs whereby the necessity of wiring the levers is avoided.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a switch-lever and an operating-motor therefor, of a rigid spring-supporting strip and a spring normally imposed against the strip and rigidly secured thereto at one end, said spring being disposed to be moved back from the strip by the lever and to be suddenly arrested by the strip as the lever is retracted.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a spring-motor including a frame, a series of arbors, intermeshing gears carried by the arbors, and a motorspring, of a series of disks mounted on one of the arbors and having peripheral projections, a series of bell-crank switch-levers fulcrumed in the motor-frame and having their adjacent ends opposed to the disks, a series of contact-springs disposed to be engaged by the opposite ends of the levers, spring-supporting strips carrying the springs and arranged to suddenly arrest the latter as the levers are retracted, and electrical connections between the spring-supporting strips and the frame of the motor.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a switch including' as elements thereof a switch-lever and a rigid strip, of a spring rigidly secured at one end IOO IIO

to one of the switch elements and normally In testimony that I claim the foregoing as lying at against the same, said spring being my own l have hereto aiiXed my signature in disposed to be moved away from its supportthe presence of twowitnesses.

ing element by the relative movement of the WILLIAM S. GUTHRIE. 5 lever and strip and to be suddenly arrested Witnesses:

by its supporting element as the lever is re- ROY H. HOWELL,

traoted. JIM HOWARD. 

